1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to toy devices, and, more particularly, to a musical entertainment device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over the years, there have been literally thousands of leisure time toys and other devices on the market, most of which encounter only brief stints of popularity. However, several of these products have achieved legendary status in which their timeless popularity will ensure commercial success for a great deal of time to come. The Frisbee.RTM., Nerf.RTM. balls and the Slinky.RTM. are but a few examples of these types of items. In response to the vast popularity of these items, there have been several instances in which improvements to the concepts and basic design of these items has resulted in products of substantial commercial success.
A prime example of this phenomena is the ring-type flying discs that were inspired by the Frisbee.RTM. concept. Children have a tendency to become quickly bored with a particular game or toy. Accordingly, there is a constant need for new and innovative products that expand on the functionality and enjoyableness of these long-proven products.
In the related art, several devices are disclosed that describe a musical and illuminating HULA HOOP (.TM.) exercising device. These include U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,340, issued in the name of Farrow, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,697, issued in the name of Ward.
Several patents disclose an illuminating HULA HOOP (.TM.) device. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,666, issued in the name of Maleyko, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,556, issued in the name of Williams.
Several patents disclose a musical and illuminating rotating toy. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,303, issued in the name of Brown, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,518, issued in the name of Knauff.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,443, issued in the name of Vaisnys et al., discloses a toy hoop with an integrated sound generating device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,885, issued in the name of Komagata, describes a HULA HOOP (.TM.) toy and method of construction.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that anticipate directly many features of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing a new and improved musical HULA HOOP (.TM.) toy.